Chapter 247 Different Positions, Different Perspectives
Duan Yongping returned to his office in the administrative building.
Although his main post was in the Special Zone, Yuanxin's headquarters still provided offices for senior executives. This way, when they returned for meetings or debriefings, they could continue working without disruption—and it helped foster a sense of belonging to the tech park.
Of course, no personal secretaries were assigned at HQ.
"Master, if you keep firing shots like that... aren't you afraid of offending the whole Electronics Science clique?" Cao Xiaoliang said worriedly as he served Duan Yongping a cup of tea.
"Heh, if I were afraid of offending people, what business would I have being here?" Duan blew the tea foam and smiled.
"Besides, what I'm saying is correct—what's there to be afraid of?"
"Still..." Cao Xiaoliang hesitated.
"Xiaoliang, when running a business, you must not be timid." Duan's tone grew serious.
"Yuanxin's platform is huge, its system massive.
You must fight for the interests of your division."
"You know the saying: 'where you sit shapes how you think.'"
"What that really means is: in your position, you must do your job.
If you can't even advocate for the growth of your own division, how could you possibly aim for a broader vision?"
"And anyway, offending people?
I doubt it.
President Qin and President Tian are both young but already nationally recognized in their fields.
As long as you don't touch their core domains, how could they possibly hold a grudge?"
Cao Xiaoliang thought about it and nodded.
"Right, President Qin handles the YX architecture.
President Tian focuses more on communications protocols—he's reportedly working to disrupt GSM."
"Exactly," Duan praised.
"Honestly, I envy them sometimes.
They have the environment, the achievements...
If I'd known earlier, I would've pursued a career in radio electronics myself."
"Haha, why don't you go back to school, Master?" Cao teased.
"No thanks." Duan waved it off.
"But remember: developing products is not inferior to doing research.
Why do you think President Chen proposed elevating the design department?"
He narrowed his eyes, voice low:
"Because both President Shan and President Chen see the future."
"If a company only focuses on tech development without maintaining the ability to commercialize those technologies, it will inevitably face hollowing out."
"This term 'industrial hollowing' was coined by Western scholars about a decade ago.
It originally referred to entire economies, but the concept applies widely."
"Take the Chinese Academy of Sciences for example—it's world-class in tech development, but weak in industrial implementation.
Of course, the Academy has state backing and its work has symbolic value.
But Yuanxin—being nicknamed a 'mini-Academy'—must be careful not to fall into that trap.
We have no government safety net."
"So Xiaoliang, understand this:
I'm not fighting the R&D center—I'm helping President Shan adjust Yuanxin's course."
Still worried, Cao said,
"Master...
Aren't you afraid of being discarded after you've served your purpose?"
Duan squinted, smiled, and sighed.
"You underestimate President Shan's vision."
"Once you get a chance to truly talk with him, you'll understand his ambitions."
Inside Su Yuanshan's office, Tian Yaoming and Qin Weimin sat side by side as Su Yuanshan poured them tea.
"I heard you've got some Da Hong Pao mother trees tucked away," Qin said, eyeing the rows of tea canisters on the shelf.
"Where'd you hear that? I don't have that kind of treasure..." Su Yuanshan laughed.
"You guys know I'm a coffee person."
Tian Yaoming got up and started poking through the canisters.
"Mind if I take a couple?"
"...Why, Senior Brother Tian?"
"You said yourself you don't drink tea."
Tian grinned, flashing a mischievous look, and sniffed each container one by one before picking two.
He tossed one to Qin and hugged the other himself.
"Now I feel better."
Zhou Xiaohui, quietly tidying up in the corner, struggled to suppress a giggle.
Su Yuanshan could only shake his head helplessly.
"I don't believe you can tell the good ones by smell."
"Hey, maybe I'll get lucky," Tian said, chuckling.
"Yeah," Qin agreed.
"By the way, Xiaoshan—we've gone along with your plans.
But this Lao Duan…
Can he really handle it?"
At the mention of Duan Yongping, both Tian and Qin grew serious, fixing their gazes on Su Yuanshan.
As two of Yuanxin's oldest veterans, they had witnessed Su Yuanshan's "miracles" firsthand and trusted his judgment implicitly.
Their own fortunes and futures were inextricably tied to Yuanxin.
Thus, they didn't see Duan's ambitions—or the overall shift toward commercial pragmatism—as competition.
They only worried:
Would elevating the product, production, and marketing divisions dilute Yuanxin's technical core?
That was a question of vision and strategic positioning.
Su Yuanshan took a sip of tea and nodded slowly.
"He's solid.
His thinking and direction are correct.
And to be honest, the tech divisions have gotten too arrogant."
"Especially here at the tech park—when they go to the Special Zone factories, they act like imperial inspectors.
That's not good."
Qin and Tian nodded but Tian sighed.
"We still need to protect the pride of our R&D staff though.
If they lose their boldness—if they start becoming meek and complacent—then we'll lose our creative edge."
Su Yuanshan sighed too.
"Exactly.
Finding the right balance is crucial."
Qin asked,
"How do we balance it?"
Su Yuanshan smiled bitterly.
"If I knew...
I'd be a saint."
"On a small scale, it's just a conflict between design and technology.
On a bigger scale, it's about reconciling industrial needs and technical advancement."
"If Yuanxin wants to go further, we have to keep adjusting—and advancing technology fast enough that the industry can barely keep up."
"Honestly, putting YX CPUs into today's mobile phones...
It's like using a cannon to shoot mosquitoes," Qin said, chuckling.
"Maybe we should design a handheld computer?"
"Hmm? A handheld computer?"
"You know, they've already got them abroad—giant touchscreen devices operated by tapping the screen."
...
After sending the two of them off, Su Yuanshan lounged on the sofa in thought.
When Zhou Xiaohui came in to clear the teacups, he asked casually,
"By the way, Xiaohui-jie—what were you laughing at earlier, when they grabbed the tea?"
"Oh," Zhou Xiaohui smiled.
"They took the best two canisters—Longjing and Maofeng."
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